Officials continue investigation into fatal canal crash in St. Lucie County

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Officials continued investigating Monday what caused a fatal crash involving a Palm City man in western St. Lucie County.

The body of Dudnauth Mohabir, 54, was found in an overturned Kia pulled Sunday from a canal in a remote area west of Florida's Turnpike, Florida Highway Patrol officials said.

Mohabir was driving west on Kelly Road — about two-tenths of a mile east of Sneed Road — when he apparently veered off the road onto the north shoulder for undetermined reasons, officials said. The vehicle then overturned and landed on its roof in a shallow canal.

The car may have been in the canal overnight, officials said. A passer-by spotted the vehicle Sunday morning.

Thermal imaging showed no heat from the car, officials said. Divers attempted to go in and search the car, but the canal bottom was too muddy.

At 12:15 p.m. Sunday, a tow truck pulled out the vehicle and found Mohabir inside it, said St. Lucie County Fire District officials.